All Over
by aquickdisguise
Summary: It's all over. Dib watches as his entire life is blown up. Poor guy. Oneshot. Bit of angst. Rated for a bit of language.


Hey folks. 1st Zim fic. :0

I'm really interested in doing some collab work with someone on a Zim fic if anyone's up for it? Yehyehyeh? I have a sort-of-outline for a fic in my mind that continues on from this one-shot blither, but I'd quite appreciate some help getting it all fixed up and written down. Well, anyhoo, drop me a review/pm if you are.

Disclaimer: Zim not mine. Zim Johan Vasquez's. Gr.

Slightly AU, I guess, seeing as Zim has actually destroyed the Earth. Also he has a big spiffy ship. And Dib's 17 now. Also, science nerds, don't get all angsty about the way Earth blows up. It's fiction, lads. We're talking Irkens and boys with big heads. -End rant-

* * *

Dib's eyes widened and his bottom lip parted from his upper as he stood on the deck of Zim's ship. Before him, Earth's surface had been shattered; an unusually beautiful molten ball glowed and pulsed as the ship sped out of reach. If the planet exploded, Zim had no intention of being sucked into the deadly surge. Admittedly, it would be nothing like a supernova (the Irken had witnessed a video transmission back when he was a smeet from an unfortunate invader who had met his end, in front of all the trainees, as he was sucked into the resulting black hole) but the thought of his triumphant return to Irk ruined by something as simple as a stray fragment of the Earth's crust was not a pleasant one.

A tear formed in the corner of the seventeen-year-old's eye. Gaz had been down there. His father had been down there. And now they were gone. And so had everything else he had known. So he was alone. The last human in the universe, bar his absurd ex-psychologist, Dwicky.

He knew his former companions had felt no pain and had no knowledge of their demise; the whole human population had been sent to sleep thanks to Zim's knowledge of Irken and planet-jacker technology. He had first encompassed the globe in a dome, releasing fumes into the atmosphere that sent every living organism into a state of deliriousness quickly followed by dormancy. That had been the Irken's gift to Dib. A peaceful end.

And then he had pressed the Big Red Button, and his probe had inverted the Earth's gravitational mass so that the outer and inner core of the planet had burst through the weaker areas of the crust in a spectacular fountain of destruction.

Surprisingly, what saddened Dib the most was how beautiful he had found it- how spectacular the Earth looked as a burning, molten mass, shooting white hot liquid into space as it bled. It was the prettiest death Dib had ever witnessed. Even if it didn't seem real.

"Impressed, Dib-stink?" Zim appeared on the deck, his Invader's uniform ripped at the shoulder and exposing smooth green skin.

Dib turned towards him, his face as unmoving as stone save for the silent tears that slid down his cheek, following the contours of his cheek until they dropped solemnly off the end of his jaw. Blood oozed from several cuts on his face, one dangerously close to his right eye, inflicted when Zim's fist has collided with his glasses. The optical aids in question were now lensless and the thin frames were bent out of their circular shape. His trenchcoat was also ripped open, the now elbow-length sleeve revealing more crimson streams winding their way around his arm.

He looked every inch the defeated fighter he was.

Zim walked slowly down the stairs. "Amazing, isn't it, that Earth could ever look so wonderful." The alien glanced towards his captive for a moment, toying with the idea of baiting him. "Y'know, the colour really matches your eyes…"

Dib could take it no longer. He drew his fist back and punched the Irken in the jaw with all his might.

"You bastard! You low, disgusting, worthless, son of a-" Dib broke down mid sentence, unable to continue insulting the alien. Waves of nausea overcame him as the realisation of reality finally sunk in. He fell to his knees.

Zim's tongue flashed out, and he bared his teeth for a second as he tried to rid his mouth of the blood that now replaced his seventh left canine. "Ah, Dib. You feel too much." He finally said, in a tone that could have been mistaken for sympathy had the Irken not been thoroughly enjoying Dib's anguish.

He smirked at the figure hunched below him, and cocked his head. After a small pause, in which he decided not to kick the Earthen boy, he left, turning sharply on his heel and marching proudly from the deck to return to the cockpit so he could steer the ship out of this wretched solar system. He had recorded the whole mighty destruction of Earth for his Tallest's personal enjoyment. Not that they'd last long on the throne now. During his seven years on Earth, Zim had grown. He was now a healthy 6'4, a full three inches taller than the Tallest.

And everyone knew tall Irkens made good warriors.

Dib didn't notice the Invader leaving until the sounds of his boots had faded to nothing, and all that could be heard was the steady beat of the ship. He wept, his forehead on the cool metal floor of the deck, no longer too proud to maintain an air of indifference.

The dark gaping pit in his stomach alternately filled with yearning and then drained, leaving him feeling more nauseous and further away to salvation than ever before. His mind would remain numb and unfeeling, until a sudden unbearable surge of grief, of regret, of misery, of longing, of guilt, of loss; of every negative emotion he could put a name to and more crashed into being, and then faded slowly like tidal currents.

_Like tidal currents before they were destroyed._ He thought, retching finally, though there was nothing in his stomach to vomit. How would he ever truly come to terms with this? The cycle of despair seemed inescapable. Would he ever see an ocean again? Did water even exist anymore? What about trees? Oxygen did, obviously, as Zim breathed it on his home planet. But what about other gasses? He knew planets like Jupiter and Saturn were made of gas, but would he be able to breathe them?

For a moment, his questions distracted him. But as he ran out of conversation to have with himself, his desolation returned.

_No._ He decided. _Nothing would ever be the same as Earth._

How very little he truly knew about the universe.

* * *

Well there. It's open ended. Um. Yea? Nay? More? Less? (well, im not sure about how much LESS it could be, but anyway.)

Reviews much appreciated- the good AND the bad. Type-os? Point 'em out please! Plot errors? Let me know! Interested in helpin' me get the next bit going? PLEASE let me know- t'would be much appreciated. I have the basics in mind for a starter, but yeah. I know there's some fantabulous writers out there and I'd love to get to know you all!


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